Kazakhstan Aluminium Smelter buys new specialised equipment for safer movement of aluminium storage container

Kazakhstan Aluminium Smelter (KAS), part of the Eurasian Resources Group (ERG), has reportedly bought new specialised equipment to move its aluminium storage containers faster and safer.

Earlier, the company used to move storage containers with a crane that held up to 25 tonnes of aluminium. However, now the new reach-stacker equipment is able to move up to 45 tonnes.

One of the biggest advantages of the new equipment is its manoeuvrability. The equipment has wheels that can rotate by up to 90 degrees, while its operator’s cab can be adjusted forwards and backwards to maintain a safe distance from the cargo.

The equipment has enough space to stack up to three containers on top of one another and has a variety of sensors to help carry out loading and deloading operations.

Serik Donbekbaev, President of Kazakhstan Aluminium Smelter, said: “The purchase of this equipment is very timely, as KAS has almost entirely switched to using storage containers. Last year, we increased aluminium exports to Europe to 218 thousand tonnes of aluminium. Customer focus is one of the main components of success, and the new equipment will be indispensable in speeding up the process of loading and transporting containers to our customers.”

Adilbek Isabaev, master mechanic at KAS’ transport department, commented: “The container loader has a system against tipping, that is, it has full control over the load. In the event that it becomes overloaded, or detects small irregularities in the roughness of the surface or similar, the machine will automatically lock and go into emergency mode.”

Every year Kazakhstan Aluminium Smelter adds new special equipment to improve its operations. This year, the company will also have an anode mass transporter and modern forklifts.